Captured live in Sanssouci, Potsdam, in 1990 are Dvorák's Serenade in D Minor, Op. 44, for winds, cello, and double bass, and Beethoven's equally delightful Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 103, for doubled oboes, horns, clarinets, and bassoons. The setting is a luxurious room in the Summer Palace of Frederick the Great.

"The playing of the members of the Berlin Philharmonic is exemplary. Their chosen layout is hairpin-like, with the two strings (cello and double-bass) at the point, and the wind players 'fanning out' in two lines from them…. There is a real feeling of the Berliners 'coming home' when the Beethoven is reached. Blending is superb in this their natural territory, and there is real care in the Andante and a tangible sense of intimacy. The darker side of the innocently named 'Menuetto' is marvelously brought through, putting the high jinks of the finale into relief; and what horn playing!"—MusicWeb International